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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. F. H. SYMONDS.

TIME STAMP.

No. 465,683. 23 atented Dec. 2, 1891.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. P. H. SYMONDS.

TIME STAMP.

Patented Dec. 22

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(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3. I. H. SYMONDS.

TIME STAMP.

I v Patented Dec. 22, 1891.

fizzzeiamz m; Mme ruins cm. mew-mum mswmm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEaFREDERICK ll. SYMONDS, OF NFAY YORK, N. Y.

TlME-STAM P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 465,683, dated December22, 1891.

Application filed July 23,1890. Serial No. 359,600. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK Il'. Srrronns, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of New York,in the county of New York andfunctions of it, and being a very simple and effective controllingdevice for the disk-shifting power, all as hereinafter fully described,reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 isa side elevation of myimproved time-stamp with the plate of the caseremoved and part of the rim of the case inclosing the hands and the dialbroken out. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the reverse side, also with theplate of the case removed, also with a part broken out same as inFig. 1. Fig. 3 'is a transverse section on line 3/ y, Fig. 1. Fig. 4: isa top view with the impression-arm and part of the top plate removed.Fig. 5 is an elevation of the stamp power releasing and stopping device,as seen in the direction of arrow (1, Fig. 1, the case andimpression-arm being sectioned on line no it. Fig. 6 is an elevation ofthe clock attachment for controlling the releasing and stopping device,as seen in the direction of arrow 1), Fig. l, the case being sectionedsame as in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a section of the type-disks in the plane ofthe shaft.

In the front upper portion of the shortcase a, only long enough for thearm I) of shortest practicable length for carrying the impression-platec, I arrange the system of typedisks, as the minute-disk (l, hour-disk0, meridian-disk f, day-disk g, month-disk 71., and the year-disk i,with a spring-power device directly under these disks for driving them,a clock in the back part of the case for controlling the periods of thedisk movements, and the trip and stop devices for the disk power in thespace between the disks and the spring-power driver and the clock.

For the power device for operating the disks I employ an ordinaryclockmotion or similar motor apparatus, whereof j indicates thespring-barrel, from which the power is transmitted by the toothed rim 7;to the usual train of multiplying gears, in which train I apply thecam-disk l on the shaft 411, which corresponds to theminute-hand-carrying shaft of the clock. This cam-disk actuates thetypedisks through the pawl-lever n and pawl and has thirty camprojections 19 for shifting said disks every two minutes, said diskmaking one revolution per hour. These projections raise the lever andpawl to engage one notch of the ratchet g on the minute-disk (I, and thespring 8 thrusts them down and shifts the disk when the cam projectionsescape from the tappet t on the lever.

The disk d turns loosely on the shaft u and has a cam 1;, which at eachrevolution of said disk sets and releases pawl-lever w, which,by itspawls c and 11 shifts the hour-disk e and the meridian-disk), which haveratchets 2, on which said pawls take effect to shift them both alike, itbeing preferred to have the characters of the meridian-disk repeated andto shift it each hour in unison with the hourdisk, so that it may beshifted by the same pawl-lever that shifts the hour-disk rather thanprovide the extra cam and pawl-lever that would otherwise have to beprovided for shifting it twice each day. The hour-disk c has a similarcam P, which at one revolution of said disk sets and releases pawl-lever2, which by its pawl 1c shifts the day-disk g through a similar ratchet.2". Said pawl-lever and pawl-lever '20 also are thrown by theirrespective springs 3 when released by the cams by which they are set.preferred to omit the cams, levers, pawls, and springs for actuating themonth and year disks 72 and weaving them to be set by hand; but they maybe provided with these requisites for automatic action,if desired. Allthe disks will have spring or equivalent stops, as 28, or someequivalent thereof, to hold them at rest,but releasing them by the forceof the shifting-pawls.

In another position in the multiplying train of the spring-power Iprovide the shaft 4, timed to make half a revolution to the movement ofwheel 1 the length of one cam projection 1) and carrying a crank-pin 5,which is connected by the rod (5 with the tilting tube In this case Ihave 7, pivoted at 8, which is the middle of its length, the arrangementbeing such that the throw of the crank will vibrate the tube from one tothe other of the inclined positions of it represented in Figs. 1,2,3,and 5. At each end of this tube, when in the lowest position, is aspring-catch 9, which catches and holds the tube when it comes to thatposition, and thereby stops and holds the spring-power train againstfurther movement u ntil the tube 1s released from the spring-catch. Forso releasing it the nose 10 of the catch extends up ward across the boreof the tube so as to be exposed to the impact of a ball 11, which iscarried in the tube and which, being released at the proper time fromthe position where it 1s retained at themiddle of the tube until allowedto fall, strikes the nose of the catch and forces it back so as torelease the end of the tube and then permit the power-train to moveanother stage and bring down the ether end of the tube, which is thencaught and held by the other catch. The tube has lips 12 proectinginwardly at the ends to prevent the escape of the ball withoutinterfering with the action of the catches on the tube or of the ball onthem. When the tube is so released, the ball is carried upward with therising end of said tube, and when reaching an altitude above the levelof the pivot of the tube the ball rolls downward along said tube untilarrested at the middle by the finger 13 reaching into the tube throughthe slot 14 in its upper side. This finger swings from the pivot 15 at asuitable position over the center of the tube, and has an arm 16, which,with the duplex crown-wheel 17, which I apply to the clock, is the meansof controlling the periodicity of the balls action. This crownwheel isgeared by the spur-wheels 1S and 19 with the axis 20, usually carryingthe minutehand of the clock, and preferably for the same rateof speed;but it may vary in certain proportions either faster or slower-as, forinstance, half the speed. It is made with two slde flanges 21 and 22,placed a suitable distance apart for a channel-way in which the end ofthe arm 16 may rest while the flanges rotate past the said arm, one oneach side. These flanges are notched radially and intermediately,respectively, as at 23, suitably for the arm 16 to swing through thenotches and at such distance apart that said arm will escape throughthem alternately at intervals of two minutes when it is desired that thetype disks shall be shifted at such intervals of time. hen in the courseof the rotation of the crown-wheel a notch 23 comes into the relationwith arm 16, permitting it to swing through the notch, the ball restingagainst the stop-finger in the upper side of the tube escapes byswinging the stop-finger away by its gravitating power and runs down todetach the catch then holding the tube, and thus permit another shift ofthe stamp-disk-driving power. Immediately after the ball escapes fromthe stop-finger said finger gravitates back to its normal position, thearm 16 swinging back through the same notch out of which it escaped forthe release of the ball and coming to rest against the oppositc flangefor holding the stop-finger to catch the ball on its return and hold itanother period of time, and release itfor the reverse movement of theball by escaping the reverse way through said opposite flange when itsnotch comes to the arm. Thus it will be seen that I provide a stop andtrip device for the disk-power controlled by the clock withoutsubjecting the clock to such amount of friction as will have anyappreciable eifect of interference with the time-keeping qualities ofit, the only friction being what is due to the pressure of the arm 16against the side of a flange of the erown-wheel by the pressure of theball against the stop-flnger, said crownwheel being turned by theminute-hand shaft of the clock.

The radius of the crown-wheel may be reduced if the notches be placedcloser together, or its speed may be reduced, say, onehalf, if thenotches be doubled, both of which modifications would still furtherdiminish the friction. If it is preferred to have the stamp shift atintervals of one minute, the notches in the crown-wheel will be doubled.As it is not practicable in this arrangement of the clock in the back ofthe case to utilize the dial 2t and the hands 25 and 26 in their usualrelation to the clock, as at the axis 20, because they would be at theback of the case, where they would not be available to the user of themachine at the front, I arrange them with the power device instead ofthe clock, and in the corresponding axis on thereof, where they havesubstantially the same functions, except that the hands shiftsynchronously with the periodical movements of the stamp-disks insteadof moving continuously with the clock.

I claim as my invention 1. In a time-stamp, the combination, with therotating type-disks, of the spring-power driver connected therewith formoving the said disks, stop and releasing mechanism connected with saidspring-power driver and controlling the movements of the sameperiodically, and a clock connected with and controlling the movementsof the stop and re leasing mechanism, said spring-power driver and clockbeing independent power mechanisms, substantially as described.

- 2. The combination,in atime-stamp, of the spring-power stamp-diskdriver, the periodically releasing and stopping device for said driverconsisting of the vibratory tube and stop catches, and the clock andgravity ball device controlling said releasing and stopping device,substantially as described.

8. The combination, in a time-stamp, of the spring-power stamp-diskdriver, and the periodically releasing and stopping device consisting ofthe vibratory tube connected with the said driving power, so as to bevibrated thereby, the spring-catches for engaging the spring-powerstamp-disk driver, the periodically releasing and stopping deviceconsisting of the vibratory tube connected with the said driving power,so as to be vibrated thereby, the spring-catches for engaging the endsof said tube alternately, the gravitating ball for detaching saidcatches, the retaining and tripping device for the ball consisting ofthe clock, the duplex crown-wheel escapement of the clock-train, and thestop-finger entering the slot of the tube and having an arm subject tothe control of the crown-wheel, substantially as described.

5. The combination, in a time-stamp, of the spring-power stamp-diskdriver, the vibratory tube connected with the spring-power, so as to bevibrated thereby, the clock, the crownwheel escapement connected withthe clock, the gravitating ball in the tube, and the retaining-fingerand releasing-arm thereof in the arrangement of the vibrating tube onthe side of the spring-power frame, and the escapement on the side ofthe clock-frame and intermediate of the two frames,substantially asdescribed.

6. In a time-stamp, the combination of the intermittingly-operatingclock-power stampdisk driver having the usual time hand shafts, the stopand releasing mechanism controlling the movements of said driver, the

clock controlling said stop and releasing mechanism, the time-indicatinghands connected with the said hand-carrying shafts of thestamp-disk-driving power, and the dial, said spring-power driver andclock being independent power mechanism suitably arranged therewith,substantially as described.

7. The combination, with the primary typedisk in a time-stamp and theactuating-pawl therefor, of the intermittingly-moving springpowerdriver, the cam-disk in said driver having a cam projection etfectingone throw of the pawl-lever to each movement of the spring-power, andthe vibratory stopping and releasing tube and spring-catches, said tubeconnected with said spring-power and having intermittent motionsynchronously with the cam-disk, substantially as described.

8. In a time-stamp having the minute, hour, and meridian disks allindependently mounted on one shaft side by side, with the minutedisk inthe middle position, the combination, with said hour and meridian disks,of a pawllever having a separate pawl for each of said disks, saidmeridian-disk having its type characters repeated correspondingly withthe characters of the hour-disk, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname, in presence of two witnesses, this 14th day of June, 1890.

FREDERICK II. SYMONDS.

Witnesses:

W. J. MORGAN, W. B. EARLL.

